Mather - Houston-Packer Collection BS478 .M3 1705

Teiament, in divers. Manners. 27 I. He raved them by Water in the Ark. The Story whereof you have in the 6, 7, and 8. Chap. of Genefss, remembred t Pet. 3. as a Type of Baptifm. And (by the way) this could not but be ofgreat ufe to all Pofterity. For tho' Nature would teach men theufe of Boats, and lef- fer Veffels, to pars the leflèr Brooks andRivers : Yet that they had any great Ships before the Flood is not probable : So that here it feems was the beginning of the Art of Navigation and Shipping. 2, He rene.rs his Covenant rrith them, with Noah and all his Seed, e- ven all mankind and gave them the Rainbow for an out- ward 1?. Sign and Pledge thereof, Gen. 9. 8, 9, 12. to 18, This is the firít inftance where the word Covenant is ufed con- cerning the Tranfa&ions between God and Men. The Rainbow was the Sign thereof, (the horns downwards, and the back upwards to Heaven, intimating that the Lord will not (hoot out of his Bow the Arrow of another Deluge) which, whether it were there before, and now only made a Signof the Covenant, or that now it had its firft Ex- iftence is difputable. But it is probable enough, that it might be alto- gether new : Yea, tho' we fuppofe the Rainbow to arife from natural Caufes. For a years Deluge could not but caufe a great alteration in all the Elements, and in the Clouds, and in the Air, whereby there might be new Phe'nomena, new appearances in the Heavens, which ne- ver were before. Moreover, it might be produced by a new creating PowerofProvidence, beyond the force of any natural Caufes, and al- fo inftituted for a Signof the Covenant. It could not have afforded any great of urance to them, if they had only the feeing and beholding of it, ( which was all that was to be done in this Sacrament,) to fee no- thing but what they had feen before, could yield but fmall comfort and affurance to that new World. And that this Covenant had a further Myftery in it, than meetly outward Prefervation from another Deluge ; See Ifai. 54. See Caryl on 9. For this is as the Waters of Noah pinto me -- The Cove- See 37. 15 ef pant of my Peace /hall not be removed. The Rainbow therefore was a Sign of the Covenant of Grace. Hence Revel. 4.. 3. Behold a Throne was fit in Heaven, and one fate on the Cofer kern. . Throne and there was a Rainbow round about the i4.oE on R as Throne, Revel. to. a. Chrift the Angel of theCovenant a perfonal Type. is defcribed, as having a Rainbow upon his Head. 3. He inlargeth their Provifion of Food, by giving them a Commiffion to eat the Flefh of the Brute Creatures, Gen. 9. 3. At lint there is no mention of any other Provifion, but the Fruits of the Earth, Gen. r. 29. But now there was need of fame further fupply ; becaufe it is pro- E 2 bable

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